Fixing broken links with Joomla’s Redirect component

You change a menu alias, remove an old page or reorganise a category. Your navigation works, but a visitor following an old bookmark reaches a 404 page.

Joomla includes a Redirect component for sending visitors from a missing URL to a working page. No extra extension required.

Enable the plugin first

Open System, Plugins. Search for System - Redirect and enable the plugin.

The Collect URLs setting records missing URLs when someone requests them. Enable collection if you want to see which broken addresses receive traffic.

Collection does not crawl your website. An empty list does not prove every link works. Joomla records requests reaching its error handling, so errors generated directly by your web server need separate investigation.

Add the replacement address

Open System, Redirects under Manage.

Find the old address in the list, or select New to enter a redirect yourself. Enter the missing address in Expired URL and the working destination in New URL. Set the redirect’s status to Enabled and save.

For example, an old /our-services page should lead to its replacement /services page. Copy the destination from your browser after opening the correct page.

Open the old address in a private browser window. Confirm you reach the replacement page without a login.

A working page will not trigger the redirect

The Redirect component handles missing pages. If the old address still displays a working page, adding a record here will not force visitors elsewhere.

For redirects involving working URLs, use your web server configuration or a suitable extension. Redirecting every www address to the equivalent non-www address also belongs at the server or hosting level.

Fix your own links too

A redirect keeps old bookmarks and external links useful. Your own website should link directly to the replacement address.

Check links in articles, custom modules and menus. Update each old address you find. When a destination changes again, update the existing redirect to point directly to the final page.

Choose a relevant destination

Send visitors to the replacement for the missing content. Redirecting an old product page to your homepage gives visitors another search task.

If you deleted a page without a suitable replacement, leaving a 404 response is appropriate. Random addresses requested by bots do not need replacement pages.

Review collection after the repair

Once you have dealt with useful records, decide whether you still need URL collection. Turning collection off stops new missing addresses entering the list. Keep System - Redirect enabled so your saved redirects continue working.